Dress code relativism is a thing; but a bare back in the office is always a no-no

It is not appropriate to wear a halter qua halter to work.

But you can wear one layered with another top to create something altogether different.

Like so. Look to the left.

I am wearing this halter — another prize from the post-holiday Sacking of the Internet — over a tissue weight tee shirt. The tee shirt matches the upper part of this color-blocked piece and my trousers match the lower. A casual observer might think I was wearing: a jumpsuit; a corset over a long-sleeved tuxedo blouse (a tuxedo shirt from 1975) and trousers; a mixed-fabric long-sleeved jersey and pants. The mind boggles.

Free association: What was the first thought that came into your mind when you saw this top?

The Photographer says: Willy Wonka

I say: Chippendale’s; Second response: In the event of a water landing, put the inflatable vest around your neck . . .

Hopefully you will say something more benign

I love so many things about this top: the pairing of the wild ruffles with grey flannel;
the graphic white buttons nestled among those black ruffles; the crooked seam down the pack, decorated with white piping.

But I am protected by the Employee Handbook and the Criminal Code of the District of Columbia

As close as those photos were, I think you need to be more closer, don’t you?

Come more closer now.

The Photographer, showing an unusual responsibility for checking and tidying his model before shooting, tried to smooth the wrinkle in the back by tugging on the hem. To no avail. That wrinkle is an eccentric soft pleat, part of the design. It can’t be tugged away.

An Apology: The site was mysteriously down last Thursday and Friday. Even I, the C.E.O. of Directrice Global Industries Ltd. was locked out while my website designer/trouble-shooter tried to diagnose the problem. As a result, Thursday’s post did not go up until late Friday. I apologize for breaking the schedule . . . but this is a good time to remind visitors that you should always scan the home page digest, which lists the ten most recent posts, for any that you might have missed.

Self-congratulation: I visited the Shopbop sale last week and saw this dress. You saw it here first.

I laughed imagining the photographer trying to “fix” the back rumple. It definitely is unique but I have noticed that you (a small person) can carry off the things that might otherwise be unthinkable. Oddly, it looks great. The buttons give it gravitas enough for the work environment. You came shining through!